Sumo Teriyaki

I’ve been coming here for 5 years and the food is EXCELLENT. The owners have their own secret recipe for spicy teriyaki and it’s the best I’ve ever had. The place is also very clean and the owners are really nice people.

This Teriyaki restaurant is exceptional. The place across the street is higher rated on Unilocal which I tried first and was really disappointed. This is my favorite in the Bothell/​Kenmore area for beef teriyaki. It’s not the least expensive but you get what you pay for and their teriyaki sauce is exceptional compared to most as are their portions but expect to pay $ 10 – 12 for a chicken-​beef combo, beef, or menu items.
PS. if the owner reads this, please get rid of the tip line on your charge slips. It appears to be an owner operated family business and for take out I don’t see the point particularly with the unusually high prices. Thanks!

Hate to give a struggling small business a low rating, but the truth is what counts.
Visited on a Saturday afternoon. We were the only people in the restaurant and it took 20 minutes for two orders of Teriyaki. Not a huge problem, the employees were very friendly.
The total price came to nearly 18 dollars. I have no problem paying that price for decent Teriyaki or large portions, but the food was mediocre at best and the portion size was smaller than most places.
They need to invest on a water cooler because at the moment they refill a small pitcher of water over and over for the customers to use. I understand if there are financial concerns, but to me an appliance like that makes a big impression on their care for their customers. There are a lot of people in 2014 that don’t drink Soda.
On a good note, the plating of the food was excellent. Clean and beautiful.
I will come back to give it another shot in the near future, but overall not a good enough value for me to make the trip frequently.

We’ve now been coming to Sumo Teriyaki for almost a year, and LOVE it! I can hardly bear to order Teriyaki anywhere else now. It’s almost a weekly thing for my husband and I. We can call ahead and just pick up our order, which is so convenient. The owner is so nice and the food is extremely consistent and consistently delicious. My favorite is the bowl (either chicken, beef, or combo depending on my mood, with wonderful steamed veggies and rice). My husband loves the spicy teriyaki. I’m so hooked on this great little gem near our home, and really would love for others to support this local business and great food!

It’s a Teriyaki joint, like most all of them.
Went mid afternoon. Got a chicken bowl for $ 6.50 (with tax). Other selections were running over $ 8. Not a bargain. Took them like 15 minutes to make it. Very unfriendly people there. When I asked for small to go box they looked at me like I was asking them to move mountains. Their sauce is the classic lets cut the real teriyaki sauce down by adding a bunch of water, cornstarch (to thicken it up) and sugar. Very little soy/​ginger/​garlic flavor detectable. But that’s similar to how most places like this do it — it’s more of a «light soy syrup» than a teriyaki sauce. It will satisfy the SALT/​SUGAR/​FAT cravings for you Teriyaki Lovers but there’s never been a very high bar to do that.
— 0.5 for SLOW service (slow an be good if it means they cooked it fresh — which I’m not sure they did.)
— 1 for mediocre sauce
— 1.5 for bad attitudes

My neighbors bought me teriyaki for lunch yesterday. Sumo is the teriyaki joint that they frequently visit. Having the selection of 6 teriyaki joints in a 2 mile radius, I always stick with the ones I know are good. Well, apparently I have found another!
I am not 100% sure about the pricing, but my neighbor says it is in the $ 5.59 range for a teriyaki bowl between the hours of 11−2pm.
The portion size for a «bowl» is incredible. Pretty sure it would be considered as an entrée size at some of the joints I go to in the same neighborhood. It comes in an actual bowl for take out. Not one of those tiny square styrofoam containers that most take out bowls come in (where you might get like 8 strips of meat!)
The bowl was honestly big enough for 2 people to share! My neighbors told me they always share a bowl, and I was thinking that was nuts. Until I saw ‘said’ bowl.
Great teriyaki sauce. I got the beef bowl with no veggies. It was delicious! My husband had chicken… not breast… just chicken. It was the best chicken teriyaki that I have had. No fatty cartilage pieces! Nice and gilled to perfection!
Now readying all these reviews, I must go back and try the SPICY chicken teriyaki!!! Best in 100 miles… I’ll be the judge of that! ;)

Don’t let any poor reviews fool you. Dine and see for yourself how they take care of you. Fresh meat, crisp veggies, clean oil, and perfect rice. I will avoid teriyaki if it isn’t Sumo.

Its a simple setup for chicken teriyaki with your standard menu. During lunch its easier to call my order in from the office & its ready soon after i arrive.
I have him pull the salad so he can substitute a little steamed broccoli but other than that chicken teriyaki it’s good in my belky!

Lame food and public radio — pass.
When the fried rice is WHITE, you know you’re in the wrong place. Spice on the food was okay, but they charged me an additional TWO dollars for fried rice which was rice with little chunks of carrots and peas. Not worth it.
Turn around on the food is about ten minutes. Parking is ample, if that helps.
Cute «sumo» theme.

we recently moved in the area and the hubby decided to order some take out to bring back since we’ve been so busy moving/​unpacking.
Overall, we weren’t impressed with the food. He ordered the teriyaki chicken and beef, as well as the tempura shrimp and chicken katsu, as well as some lo mein noodles mixed with chicken and vegetables.
Everything was really bland, and dry, and we even thought they previously cooked the meats and when you order, they just warmed it up, which was why the food was dry and hard to eat.
For sure, we won’t be planning to come back here.

If I’m craving teriyaki and I’m in the area, this place usually pops into my head! It’s a pretty small restaurant (only a few tables inside) so personally, I wouldn’t suggest eating in, but getting it to go is a great option! You receive a decent amount of meat, and it’s pretty tasty as well! I think price-​wise, it’s comparable to what you’d expect from most teriyaki places. I would definitely recommend this teriyaki joint if you’re in Bothell though :)

Great Prices
Great food
Great service
Nothing else needs to be said when it comes to sumo. The owner is very very kind and even if im a few cents short he doesnt mind it at all.
My favorite teriyaki place for now.

Sumo Teriyaki is pretty much exactly what I’m looking for when it comes to lunchtime teriyaki. One of my jobs is in the same shopping complex as them, so it’s even more convenient for me, but service is fast, prices are very reasonable (with tip I pay $ 10 for a well-​sized serving of the spicy chicken, which has been my go-​to order the past few weeks), and I always get a friendly hello from the nice couple that runs the place.
The food is solid – nothing more and nothing less than what you would expect from a teriyaki shop, and, yes, the place is small, but it seems like most of the business they do is take-​out since seating has never been a problem for me. If you do dine-​in be aware that the place can get a little on the cold side, but they recently set up a space-​heater to keep you toasty until… maybe June if we’re lucky.
The best part about Sumo by far though, is that they play NPR all day, everyday. Except for the one day they were doing their pledge drive (I know my donation is important, already!), this is about the best atmosphere I can imagine to take a few minutes to relax, eat some spicy food (with some extra chilli sauce for good measure), and listen to stories about immoral politicians, amazing acts of charity, crazy hippies, and, my favorite to date, an argument between a Buddhist and an atheist about the nature of the universe.
Are you not entertained?! Are you not entertained?!

Great spicy chicken and large portions. The food makes up for the tiny space and strange sumo inspired posters. I like to hit here for quick take-​out for dinner.

I have followed Mr. Lee’s Sumo Teriyaki from downtown Seattle to his present location @ 22 833 Bothell Everett Hwy (next door to Bartells).
Mr. & Mrs Lee have a great menu and the food is fresh and right off the grill. I would highly recommend this restaurant…

The place is very small. hardly any sitting space.
The service was less quick than other teriyaki places and the portions are not big though the price is extremely cheap.
In general, I’ve been to better places …

Given this economy, I am always in search of cheap eats. For lunch in the Canyon park area, this is the place to go .
From 11am to 2pm, they provide a choice of lunch specials ranging from $ 4.99 to $ 6.50 depending on the dish. The lunch special bowls are usually $ 4.99 to $ 5.50, while the lunch special plates are anywhere from $ 5.50 to $ 6.50. For a portion that doesn’t leave you with leftovers and fills you just right for lunch time, the bowls are perfect. The bowls come with a mound of rice on the bottom, stir-​fried fresh vegetables (a mixture of cabbage, carrot, and broccoli) and a choice of grilled teriyaki chicken, beef or both. The dish isn’t served with a lot of sauce leaving you the choice to add more if you prefer. They provide squeeze bottles of soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and sriracha sauce if you need it. The chicken and beef are grilled with just the right sear and smoke that I like and it is always tender. My favorite is the stir-​fried veggies. They are cooked perfectly so as to retain the crispness of the veggies yet have the taste of the grill. yummy!
The staff is super-​friendly and I always can carry a happy conversation with them, especially California since they have lived there. The establishment is tiny, with only 3 tables for seating and a few single seats along the storefront window. In the summer, they set up a table for outside seating. A lot of people come here for take out though so it usually isn’t full of people dining inside.
The restaurant is very basic and is primarily for teriyaki-​style grilled items. I would not come here for authentic Japanese grilling or food at all. And if it is very busy, there may be a wait. There are only 2 people working in the restaurant. The restroom is also very clean and smells fresh (no really, not kidding).
Overall, it’s cheap, satisfying, fast, friendly, and clean. What more could you ask for?

Ok I can’t understand the low rating. I’ve eaten there once a week for 3 years. The food quality is excellent and consistent, the price is good and the portions are above average.
They are very work friendly. I can call in my order and they tell me «ok ten minutes» I get there 5 – 10 minutes later and the food is all boxed up ready to go.
The owner Lee’s got a good memory for customers and has a good heart.
One last thing, I wouldn’t eat at the store though because the dining space is tiny and very awkward. This place is great for take out though.

2.5
damn my lack of internet access, Greg beat me to first to review!
Hidden in a small corner to the side of the Canyon Park QFC, Sumo would easily be overlooked by a casual passerby. (if you know the area, it’s on the side where the Rocker bar used to be)
I wouldn’t recommend sitting in, it’s tiny as hell, but since most people take it to go… you could sit in if you wanted the owners listening in to your every word while you puruse pictures of Sumo wrestlers adorning the wall and wall paper borders. My favorite was the series showing «Sumo wrestler day jobs», such as jockey and stripper.
I came for lunch alone, and missed the lunch special by 10 minutes.
If you go, don’t do that.
For what it is, typical and standard, the regular prices just aren’t worth it.
For the special price, it adds another choice for eats in the area and is FAR better than the teriyaki place across the Both-​Ev Hwy (by 7 – 11)
damn you greg! =D

First to review!
So, this place, meh, it’s OK.
This place can be easy to miss, it faces the Bothell-​Everett Hwy side, so you’ll have to go around the parking lot.
Seating is sparse, three small tables, barstool seating that faces the window, and a small table outside. A few rice bowls for $ 4.99 (chicken or beef) with typical fixings (choice of meat, stir-​fried veggies (cabbage, broccoli, and carrots), on top of rice). The plates were a little more pricey, $ 7.99 to $ 8.99.
I ordered the beef bowl. The beef didn’t seem grilled, but the veggies had a nice wok-​seared flavor. A decent amount of rice, but there was a ton of teriyaki sauce at the bottom of the bowl. The sauce itself wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t all that great.
Didn’t notice anything else outstanding on the menu, very basic teriyaki fare.